Ashton welcomes easing of Gaza blockade

Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, has welcomed measures announced by the Israeli government yesterday (5 July) to ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government acceded to international demands by publishing a list of goods that are banned from entering Gaza, greatly expanding the number of items that are allowed into the territory. The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom yesterday accepted an Israeli invitation to visit Gaza later this month, according to the Italian foreign ministry.

Ashton described the measures as “another significant step forward” in Israel’s review of its Gaza policy.

“As I have always said, once implemented, Israel’s new policy should improve the lives of the ordinary people of Gaza while addressing the legitimate security concerns of Israel,” she said.

Israel continues to block most building materials from Gaza, saying that Hamas – the radical Islamic group that controls the territory – would use them for military purposes. However, building materials required for internationally supervised projects will be allowed into Gaza.

Tony Blair, the international Middle East envoy, welcomed the announcement as a “significant milestone”. “Thousands of items that have not been available through legitimate channels for the last three years should now enter as a matter of course,” he said.

Israel and Egypt have blocked access to Gaza and its 1.5 million inhabitants since Hamas took control in 2007.

US visit

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, is to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington, DC today in a bid to improve relations. The meeting will also explore the possibility of resuming direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The meeting was originally scheduled to take place a month ago but was postponed following an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound naval convoy in which nine Turkish citizens were killed. The incident added further strain to the normally cordial relations between Israel and the US, as well as with Turkey, Israel’s oldest ally in the region.